We help dentists grow their practices and achieve their dreams.
Jo Ann Pulver owned an internationally known practice management firm specializing in business development for dentists and dental specialists for 20 years. Prior to starting her own company, Jo Ann was a business consultant for the Pride Institute for 6 years after leaving her career as the Assistant Dean of Students at Trinity College in Hartford, CT.
In order to prosper in today’s business environment, Jo Ann believes it begins with an empowered team of committed professionals who possess exquisite communication skills. Jo Ann has worked with over 3000 dental practices nationwide teaching business management skills enabling dental practices to maximize profitability while enhancing teamwork in an enjoyable work environment. In addition, she has instructed over 400 dental implant study groups on Management and Communication Skills of Implant Dentistry.
Jo Ann has been a speaker for the ADA Seminar Series and the American Dental Association Annual Sessions. In addition, she has spoken for all the major dental conferences around the US and Canada.
She joins the team at AMP knowing that the skills, knowledge and dynamics of “the team approach” to helping doctors grow their practices is insurmountable. There truly is no problem situation or concern that the AMP team cannot resolve with the experience by harnessed all. One of her greatest joys is engaging the team to play full out and to do what is necessary even when no one is looking.
She has a Master’s degree in counseling and a bachelor’s degree in Human services.
New Year's Day has now come and gone and already, most people have abandoned their New Year's resolutions! It is a perfect time to be deciding, therefore designing, your personal and professional goals for 2016. What are the goals your dental team are setting for 2016? What about your Dental Practice as a whole? And you as a Doctor, what are the goals you'd like to reach in 2016?
When was the last time you turned to your dental hygienist, front office staff, or even a new employee and said "Thank you for all that you do?" Are you aware of the level of appreciation you're showing your team and how that appreciation impacts not only your relationship with them but case acceptance and new patient increase? Staff/Team turnover is the most costly expense any business incurs. Implementing workplace policies that benefit workers and help boost employee retention is not simply a "nice" thing for businesses to do for their employees. Maintaining a stable workforce by reducing employee turnover through better benefits and flexible workplace policies also makes good business sense, as it can result in significant cost savings to employers.
It is truly amazing how some people can rise from adversity and make such a beautiful life for themselves. Take the 6 year old little boy who lost both his father, and shortly thereafter, his mother at this young age. The story aired on NBC news demonstrating how powerful a smile can be and how this darling little child’s greatest wish is put a smile on a perfect stranger’s face. He chose to pursue his dream by purchasing adorable little stuffed animals and various toys to give randomly to people he would decide to meet. The smiles he created with people from all walks of life was ever so gratifying for him and helped him to deal with the grief of the loss of his parents.
Let’s look at the transformations of those who are well-known and perhaps famous by the beautiful smiles you have created as dentists. A few who come to mind are Celine Dion, Fifty Cent, Nicholas Cage and Zach Affron all who wear big beautiful transformational smiles each and every day of their lives created by the talented and highly skilled dentist and their team.
Every member of the dental team plays a role in keeping the office motivating but as the doctor, there are more eyes on you. Have you let your team slip through your fingertips and you constantly find yourself looking for ways to keep them motivated and loving their job?! You're thinking too much about it! Lets break this down for you.
Team incentives are very important in a productive and successful work environment. To start, let’s take a look at what works and what does not. The first type of incentive that does not work is the one that has a long duration before the team is to receive a reward. The 6 – 12 month plan is an example of what may cause most teams to show a lack of interest in the end goal. It is imperative that the doctor put an immediate end to any incentive plan that turns to one of “entitlement.” If any staff member begins to say anything such as, “We deserve” or “We should have…” this is immediate grounds for dismissal of the incentive plan! It is a clear sign that it is no longer working.
Who is the Team leader in your Dental Office? Team leaders need to always have clear expectations for their business and for their team. Team relationships seem to fail because of mismatched expectations, these misunderstandings can impact team success, customer service and overall dental case acceptance.
When we take responsibility for a specific area, we recommend that ONE person be primarily responsible for a business system such as Continuing Care, Appointment Scheduling, Financial Arrangements, and Insurance Claims. When job duties are clearly defined, we know who to go to if there are problems with that specific area.
